Letter: Poison Doesn’t Discriminate

Apparently someone has put out poison down on the meadow near where I live to get rid of coyotes. A neighbor warned another not to walk his dogs down there because of the poisoned bait. How thoughtless can one be? The creek that passes my house is an ancient path to the river, and it’s used by a multitude of creatures. We have enjoyed them all, including the coyotes that serenade us in the middle of the night. Maybe the bait will poison the coyotes ... and the foxes, raccoons, skunks, fishers, domestic dogs, cats — any creature that eats the bait or the poisoned creatures. And what about the vultures that eat carrion? What about the pair of eagles that’s been around this winter? Eagles eat carrion.

My call to the local New Hampshire Fish and Game officer has not been returned. Trying to poison one species has far-reaching consequences. We need coyotes; they are a predator, and they help keep rabies among wildlife under control. Actually, they eat mice and voles and other things that damage crops.

I hope the short-sighted person who put out the poison will collect the bait and the animals it has destroyed before it devastates our local wildlife.

To the Editor: Susan Brown, in her Feb. 2 letter, “Poison Doesn’t Discriminate,” protested that someone had put poison in a nearby meadow to get rid of coyotes, also endangering myriad other creatures. My house has been invaded by squirrels that pose the danger of fire by chewing through insulation of electric wires. Two firemen suggested that poison is the …